Despite mandatory evacuation orders in coastal Pasco County, some residents are choosing to stay in their homes.
As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, the number of residents in county shelters reached 564. That’s a fraction of the estimated 72,590 residents under an Zone A evacuation order given by Pasco emergency officials.
See map of Evacuation Zones: https://pascogis.pascocountyfl.net/evaczone/finder.html
Robert Fink, 72, lives with his wife in New Port Richey. He said he would like to leave, but his wife's medical needs make it difficult to seek public shelter.
“It would be dangerous. It would be dangerous for my wife,” he said, referring to her need for constant access to an oxygen tank and social distancing.
Fink’s apartment, like much of Pasco's coastline, is expected to see 6 to 9 feet of storm surge on Wednesday morning.
Hurricane Idalia's landfall in the Big Bend region is coinciding with another naturally occurring event caused by a rare supermoon.
Known as a King Tide, these peak high tides are expected to worsen storm surge conditions by 1 to 2 feet. In Pasco County, emergency management director Andrew Fossa said two significant flooding events are expected.
"It's not only going to happen once to us, it's going to happen twice. So (Wednesday) afternoon, about 12:30 o'clock, we're getting another high tide. But this high tide is supposed to be higher than the tide from tonight."
This means Pasco's coastline will experience a delayed flooding event after Idalia has passed. Fossa warned that the Cotee and Anclote rivers are both highly effected by high tides.
Residents in the Elfers area should except dramatic flooding impacts around noon Wednesday.
Pasco County officials are reminding residents that it's not too late to evacuate and that all six county shelters are still open to residents.
Residents seeking help with evacuation or transportation in Pasco County should call 727-847-2411 or visit MyPasco.net.
